Takeaways From the Indiana Junior vs. Senior All-Star Game
In this article:
The annual Indiana All-Star series rolled through historic Memorial Gymnasium in downtown Kokomo on Wednesday night as the Indiana Junior All-Stars took on the 2024 Indiana All-Stars. This matchup featured the “Core” and “Blue” Junior teams along with the 13…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe annual Indiana All-Star series rolled through historic Memorial Gymnasium in downtown Kokomo on Wednesday night as the Indiana Junior All-Stars took on the 2024 Indiana All-Stars. This matchup featured the “Core” and “Blue” Junior teams along with the 13 Indiana All-Stars who will then play their two-game, home-and-home series on Friday and Saturday against the Kentucky All-Stars. There was a great turnout at Memorial Gymnasium and those in attendance were treated to an exciting, competitive game. Prep Hoops Indiana had boots on the ground coverage and Kyler Staley has already highlighted some of the game’s top performers. Now, let’s dive into some overall takeaways.
The Indiana Senior All-Stars defeated the Indiana Junior All-Stars 104-96.
Flory Bidunga Treats Wildkat Fans to One Final Show
You couldn’t have wrote the script any better. Three years ago, Flory Bidunga (Kokomo H.S. 2024) came to Kokomo has an unknown, somewhat mythical figure. There were whispers and online rumors that the Wildkats were adding a 6’9″ sophomore that had a chance to be pretty good. However, nobody knew just how special he would be. That quickly changed after his very first game and by Christmas time there was national buzz about Bidunga. Fast forward to now and he has become a two-time Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year, Mr. Basketball, and McDonald’s All-American. The Kansas signee treated his hometown fans to one final show on Wednesday night.
It took Bidunga less than 10 minutes to secure a double-double and he went on to finish with an incredible 34 points and 22 rebounds. Despite playing in a scrimmage for the Jayhawks in Lawrence on Tuesday, Bidunga made it back to Kokomo for the event on Wednesday and played with his typical non-stop motor. It has been a treat to cover Bidunga during his three years here and he will go down as one of the most special prospects we have witnessed in 20 years.
Trent Sisley Trent Sisley 6'8" | PF Heritage Hills | 2025 State #47 Nation IN Leads Juniors With Excellent Game
If Trent Sisley Trent Sisley 6'8" | PF Heritage Hills | 2025 State #47 Nation IN (Heritage Hills H.S. 2025) is going to shoot the ball like that then there is no stopping him. The four-star, Top 100 national prospect showcased why he is a highly sought after recruit by the likes of Indiana, Notre Dame, Purdue, and many other Big Ten programs. Sisley shot 4-5 from three-point range and finished with a team-high 18 points in the game. His shot looks smoother and there is a more direct path from catch to release than he had developed over the last year or so. That small fix appears to have really improved his outside shot.
A Few Breakout Stars Appear for the Juniors
There might not have been a more impressive individual performance, aside from what Bidunga did, than Dominique Murphy Jr Dominique Murphy Jr 6'5" | SG East Chicago Central | 2025 State #242 Nation IN ‘s (East Chicago Central H.S. 2025) game. The talented 6’5″ wing scored it from all over the floor knocking in a pair of three-point shots, finishing off of two feet at the end of his drives, and consistently using his size on the perimeter to create matchup problems. He finished with 17 points and 4 rebounds on 6-9, 2-4, 3-4 shooting splits. Murphy Jr could use that performance to spring board into a breakout summer.
Similarly, Julius Gizzi Julius Gizzi 6'3" | SG New Palestine | 2025 State IN (New Palestine H.S. 2025) and Kellen Pickett Kellen Pickett 6'9" | PF Blackhawk Christian | 2025 State #108 Nation IN (Blackhawk Christian 2025) had excellent showings for the Indiana Junior All-Stars. Quite simply, Gizzi scores the basketball at a high level in any and all settings. Filling in for the injured Jack Smiley Jack Smiley 6'2" | PG Valparaiso | 2025 State IN (Valparaiso H.S. 2025), Gizzi stepped in and scored 14 points off of the bench. He once again proved himself as one of the top scorers in Indiana’s Class of 2025. The 6’9″ Pickett played well on Wednesday night too. After recently picking up an Indiana State offer, Pickett knocked in a pair of catch-and-shoot three-point shots and finished with 8 points and 5 rebounds.
Other Notes
Purdue bound Jack Benter (Brownstown Central H.S. 2024) was second on the Indiana All-Star team scoring 19 points on 5-8 shooting from beyond the arc. K.J. Windham (Ben Davis H.S. 2024), a Northwestern signee, was also in double-figures scoring 10 points while dishing out a game-high 7 assists.
Braylon Mullins Braylon Mullins 6'6" | SG Greenfield-Central | 2025 State #123 Nation IN (Greenfield-Central H.S. 2025) rounded out the double-figure scoring for a well-balanced Junior squad with 13 points.